Detroit, MI – A 74-year-old man has been sentenced to seven to 15 years in prison for slashing a seven-year-old girl’s throat at a park. Gary Lansky pleaded guilty but mentally ill to assault with intent to murder and assault with a dangerous weapon.
During the sentencing on Thursday, 36th District Court Judge Malaika D. Ramsey issued the sentence following the attack that traumatized Saida Mashrah. Lansky was also sentenced to one to four years for a separate assault charge, to be served concurrently.
Saida addressed the court, expressing her fear and trauma from the incident that occurred in the daylight on October 8. She described how the attack affected her daily life, saying she did not want to go outside or sleep.
Lansky confronted the girl while she was playing in Ryan Park and cut her throat with a pocketknife. After the attack, Saida managed to escape and received assistance from a neighbor who helped stop the bleeding.
Witnesses intervened and restrained Lansky until law enforcement arrived in the afternoon. Saida required three stitches to treat her wounds from the incident.
Her family has since filed a civil lawsuit seeking $50 million. At the sentencing hearing, a statement on behalf of Saida’s mother expressed the emotional impact of the attack on their family.
Local civil rights leaders criticized the case’s handling, expressing disappointment over a lack of hate crime charges. Lansky offered an apology to Saida’s family during the hearing, taking responsibility for his actions.
